Original artwork, not a still
I’m not quite dead yet!
— Monty Python and the Holy Grail • 1975
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
It is the film's best deadpan joke: a man stubbornly insisting he is alive while everyone around him treats his death as paperwork. The popular form 'I'm not dead yet' has outlived the film's own wording and became its signature thanks to the stage musical Spamalot, where the character is named Not Dead Fred. Fans use it for anything declared finished too soon, from old software to ageing rock stars.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Monty Python and the Holy GrailShow the scene
In the plague-ridden village scene of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, a dead collector goes through the streets calling for the dead and takes a man from a large man at nine pence. The man over the shoulder protests that he is not dead, but the large man insists he soon will be, as he is very ill. The man replies that he is getting better, says he feels happy and thinks he will go for a walk. The collector, finding no other way, hits him on the head with his club and carries him off. As Wikiquote gives it, the actual words are 'I'm not dead' and not 'I'm not quite dead yet'.
Sources (2)
- Wikiquote: Monty Python and the Holy GrailBring out your deadReference checked
- Wikipedia: SpamalotSynopsis, Act IReference checked
Context reviewed
